A Puzzle can you help? Thankyou for looking!

[Paul Drake]

Hello,

Thankyou very much for your interest and help.

This is what I know. But I can not say 100% what he actually did in the war which is a bit frustrating.

Service Details/Record

Second lieutenant Helmut Boehmer being a 'Rottenführer' of the

> Molch-Flottilla 413, founded July 1944

Helmut Boehmer was captured in Nijmegem on the 20th September 1944 during the Operation Market Garden in Holland.

Although he was only young Rank could be achieved quickly for the right people.

http://www.one35th.com/submarine/molch_spec.htm

This ties in with what Josef Kox has told me a friend of my grandfathers but he has little info on his Military Career (Link Below)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A7564548

Rottenführer (Link Below)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rottenf%C3%BChrer

What I find confusing is how was a Rottenführer attached to Navy Molch-Flottilla 413, founded July 1944. Rottenführer THE RANK was this always attached to the SS.

If this question could be answered I would be so happy.

Just to let you know Josef Kox was a friend of my Grand fathers they met at a POW camp in England. Josef only knows that Helmut was trained to be on the ‘one man torpedo’.

So was he in the SS? Was he old enough to be in the SS? BEING 17 ½ .If he was a Navy person why have Rottenführer in his service records?????

AHHHHH Please help…………….

Regards

Paul Drake

[Alex Dekker]

Here in Holland the Waffen SS commanded a navy unit: IJsselmeer flotillia. But as I'm preparing to move into another house, I can't look it up...

And for his age: yep. At the age of seventeen it was possible to join. ('Eintritt von 17. Lebensjahr', I believe was stated on posters).

Alex